Every runner has a reason why they run. For some, it is the way a toned body feels or to maintain good health, an endorphin rush, peace of mind, or for mental clarity. For some, it is to fund raise for charity; for others, to achieve an endurance goal such as to marathon in each of the 50 states, or on each of the seven continents, or to complete a certain number of marathons. At the Honoring our HEROES Marathon on Saturday, the overall reason for all 544 entrants from 41 U.S. states and territories was to honor our HEROES - veterans and active military.

Evelyn (Evie) Smith, from the Chicago area, completed her fifth HEROES; her reasons include all of the above. She’s done all 50 states four times and has two continents to go to check off all seven (Asia and Antarctica remain) and has completed 647 marathons. Evie is a HEROES Marathon Ambassador and spreads the word about HEROES everywhere she goes. For the last three miles of her marathon, Evie was joined by volunteer Olivia Park from the Rolla High School Key Club, earning Olivia a 5K medal. The last half mile, the two were joined by HEROES volunteers, including a group of 47 Sergeants from the US ARMY Engineer Academy at Fort Leonard Wood, who functioned as course monitors and clean-up crew. As she crossed the finish line, Evie’s name, hometown and finish time were called out by CWO5 Jim Steiner, HEROES Race Announcer and career Marine.